“You’re from Minnesota, aren’t you?” I asked. “I recognize your accent.”
“Oh my!” Ernie’s eyes got big. “She’s a smart one.” He looked at Tyler and pointed a finger at me. “Yes, I’m from Minnesota. Where are you from? Let me guess.” Ernie narrowed his eyes and stared at me. “North or South Carolina?”
“Yes,” I said. “North Carolina. I haven’t lived there in years but I guess I still have my accent.”
Tyler squeezed my hand and gave me a sweet grin. “You didn’t know that?”
“I don’t think about it, I guess,” I said.
“It’s been stronger today since you got back from your trip,” he said.
“Oh really? I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. I like it.” Tyler smiled.
“Where’d you go on your trip?” Leona asked.
“We were talking about you guys,” I said. “So finish telling me how you met.”
Leona waved her hand, gesturing for me to continue. “No, we have plenty of time for that. Where was your trip? Did you go to North Carolina?”
I sighed under my breath.
“Yeah,” Tyler said. His voice was gentle. “Don’t change the subject.”
I looked up at him and he gave me a shy wink and a grin.
Is this why Tyler wanted me to come out? Because he knew they’d innocently ask me questions that I’d be too polite not to answer? That sneaky son of a bitch. Actually, she seems pretty nice… I would've chuckled at my own dumb joke if not for my irritation.
“No, I went to West Virginia to visit some relatives,” I said.
“Oh really? I like West Virginia,” Ernie said. “There’s a lot of good fishing to do there. Where do your relatives live?”
“You’ve probably never heard of it,” I said.
“Ernie’s traveled all over.” Leona nodded. “You can tell him anyplace and he’s been there.”
Ernie's eyes widened. “Try me.”
“Okay,” I said. “I have relatives in a few towns there. But the ones I just saw are in Fairmont.”
“I know Fairmont. I had to help with something at a college there once,” Ernie said. “Ate at some good Italian restaurants.”
“Yeah,” I said. “I’m surprised you know it.”
“I told you.” Leona patted his arm. “So, you didn’t visit your parents? Are you as bad as my son?” She shot him an angry look.
“Mom…” Tyler said.
I interrupted him. “No, my parents are dead.”
Their mouths both opened at the same time. Leona’s hand went to her chest. “I’m so sorry, sweetie.” She reached across the table and took my hand. “I’m so sorry.”
“No, it’s okay.” I shook my head furiously. “Really, it’s fine. It’s been ten years now. It’s okay.”
“Oh,” she said. “Did they both go at the same time?”
“Mom!” Tyler said.
“It’s okay.” I glanced at Tyler. “They did, actually. Car accident.”
“And that was in North Carolina?” she asked.
“Where in North Carolina are you from?” Ernie asked.
“Umm…” I quickly looked at Tyler again. He stared at me, waiting for an answer.
Just then, the drinks came.
Whew! Saved by the bell. Or, rather, the clanging of glasses.
Ernie and Leona both took a sip of their drinks and immediately started talking about how good they were.
Yay! Subject changed.
Tyler grabbed the beer bottle and tipped it into his mouth like he was dying of thirst.
I took a long drink of my water, then I picked up the menu. “We should probably decide what we want, huh?”
“Oh, I’ll just pick something,” Leona said. “I’m just happy to see my boy.”
“Yes, I’m ready when the waiter comes back,” Ernie said. “So, back to North Carolina. Finish your story. Let's see if I've been to your town.” He smiled and leaned slightly across the table.
Fuck. I hoped they’d take a hint. Old people never do.
“Uh, yeah. I’m originally from a town called Carrboro.”
“What’s that near?” Ernie asked. “It sounds familiar.”
“Chapel Hill, Durham.” I took a sip from my glass. Sweet Lord, please make these people leave me alone. I squeezed Tyler’s hand, hoping he’d bail me out. He ignored my silent plea and reached down to the table for his beer.
“Now that’s an area that’s grown up. Have you been back there recently?” Ernie asked.
“I don’t go there much,” I said.
“When was the last time? You probably miss it.”
How the hell do I answer this question? I couldn’t think of a way to change the subject. Leona and Ernie both smiled innocently. I could tell they were just curious. But I really hated talking about North Carolina. “I haven’t been there in ten years.” With the exception of eight months they don’t need to know about.
“What? Do you still have family there?” Leona’s eyes were suddenly huge.
“Yes, but we’re not very close,” I said. “We meet up once in a while though.”
Oh God, make it stop! Shit! Did Tyler put them up to this?
“Are you an only child?” Leona asked.
I took a deep breath, hesitating for a moment. “No, I have a brother and sister. But actually, it’s funny you asked.” Yes! Maybe this will change the subject. “I have this cousin, Ashley, who was more like a sister to me than a cousin when we were kids. She came to West Virginia to meet me at my Aunt and Uncle’s house last week. I hadn’t seen her in years. She’s coming here to visit in December.”
“Oh really?” Tyler’s eyes lit up. “For Christmas or something?”
“Maybe toward the end of finals week. We’re not sure yet,” I said.
“Where do you go for Thanksgiving and Christmas?” Leona stared at me. “Do you go to West Virginia?”
“Yeah, usually. This year my uncle’s having knee surgery the week before Thanksgiving so I don’t have anywhere to go. Not sure about Christmas yet. But I have friends here in Lockwood I can spend the holidays with.”
Leona took my hand across the table. Tears welled up in her eyes. “You’re welcome to come to our place in Montana.”
“That’s so nice of you,” I said. “But really, I’ll be okay.” Why did I have to ramble on about my holiday plans?
“Oh, sweetie.” Leona shook her head. The corners of her mouth pointed straight down. “I feel so bad that you don’t have any place to go. Please think about coming home with Tyler.”
His grip on my hand tightened. He smiled when I turned to him. “Yeah, you should think about it,” he said.
“Really, we love to have people over,” Leona said. “And Ernie and I are hosting this year.”
The waiter came to take our orders right then.
As Ernie and Leona ordered and joked with the waiter, I blocked my mouth with my menu and faced Tyler.
“Hey.” I whispered loudly. His attention turned from his menu to me.
“What?” he asked.
“I’m dying. You gotta help me. Did you put them up to this?” I asked.
He looked across the table with raised eyebrows. Leona was pointing at something on the menu and laughing with the waiter. “I’m sorry. They’re just nosy.” He leaned down closer to me, whispering. “I’ll try to make it stop, okay?”
“Okay.” I breathed a tentative sigh of relief.
“Damn, questions really stress you out,” he whispered. “I’m sorry, baby. We’ll talk about it later.”
The waiter asked for our orders. Tyler picked his usual cheeseburger. I pointed at something random and hoped for the best.
As soon as the waiter left, Tyler spoke up. “So, you guys are hosting? What about Aunt Trixie?”
“Well, we need to tell you something.” Leona was practically giddy. Ernie smiled and put his arm around her. “We’re finally moving in together,” she said.
“What?” Tyler said. “
I thought you already lived together.”
“Not officially. But we’re making it official.” She giggled. “After we leave here on Monday.” She turned to Ernie, then back to Tyler. “We’re flying to Vegas and getting married.”
Tyler’s mouth dropped open, then a warm smile spread across his face. “It’s about time!”
He and his mom both stood up. He gave her a big, enthusiastic hug. Ernie got up and stood next to them.
“I’d like to hug my new stepson if that’s okay,” Ernie said.
“Sure.” Tyler cheerfully bent down to hug Ernie.
It was all so fascinating to me. In the short time I’d known Tyler, I’d never seen him so happy.
They all sat back down. Tyler moved my hand to his knee and held it again under the table. He leaned forward. “So, have you told everyone back home? I just spoke to Aaron yesterday and he didn’t say anything.”
Leona took a sip of her Gin Rickey and sat it back down on the table. Ernie looked at her, waiting for a response. “I wanted you to know first. You’re my oldest.” She smiled and touched his hand. “You know how sentimental I am.”
Tyler nodded. “So, can I tell anyone?”
“I’ll call Aaron and Daisy tomorrow,” Leona said. “It’s not a secret. I just wanted to tell you first.”
“Daisy?” I asked.
“Yes,” Leona said. “Has he not told you?”
Tyler cleared his throat. “We haven’t known each other that long.”
“I knew he had a brother and sister but I didn’t know their names,” I said.
“Ah.” Leona nodded. “Yes, I have three children. J.T., Aaron, and Daisy.”
“J.T.?” I asked.
“Yes.” Leona chuckled. “James Tyler Campbell, Jr. His dad went by Tyler, so we always called him J.T. because he didn’t like Jim or Jamie. But after his dad passed on, he started going by his dad’s name.”
I looked up at Tyler. He met my gaze then reached for his beer.
“That’s really sweet,” I said.
His eyebrows rose for a second as he drank from his bottle.
“He’s so much like his father,” Leona said. “Tyler suits him. His dad had that name before it became so common. Aaron didn’t like his first name either so he went by his middle name, too.” She shook her head. “You boys.”
Tyler sat his bottle back down on the table with a thud. “What did you expect? You named him Glen Campbell.”
“What?” I started laughing.
“What? It’s a nice name,” Leona said. “A good conversation starter.”
Ernie chuckled. “That’s my girl. Always thinking ahead.”
I couldn’t stop laughing. “I’m sorry.” I breathed deeply to try to calm down. I gave Tyler a quick glance. He smiled at me. “Are you a big fan of Glen Campbell?” I asked, looking at Leona.
“Yes,” Leona said.
“Me too.” Ernie nodded. “Are you? He’s before your time.”
“I listen to all kinds of stuff. I like ‘Rhinestone Cowboy,’” I said.
“Well, I like rhinestones.” Leona said. She and Ernie looked at each other and laughed.
Tyler scowled, groaning loudly.
“Sorry,” Leona said. “It’s an old joke.”
“Aaron hates that song.” Tyler shook his head. “You can’t even tease him about it.” He started laughing, then laughed a little harder like he had remembered something.
Leona rolled her eyes. “They just don’t know good music. Your brother should feel honored.”
“No,” Tyler said. He was still laughing a little. “I feel honored because I’m the only one who got a normal name.”
Leona’s lips pursed. She glared at Tyler, who laughed even harder. “There’s nothing wrong with anyone’s name.” She looked at me. “I named my daughter Daisy because it’s my favorite flower. I always said if I had a baby girl, that would be her name. Daisy Doreen. Doreen, after my favorite aunt.”
“Wow,” I said.
“Yep.” Tyler nodded.
“Well,” I said. “Congratulations on your upcoming wedding!” It felt like a good time for a subject change.
“Thank you!” Ernie and Leona both said at the same time. In a flurry of words, smiles, and hand holding, they went on and on about the chapel they found in Las Vegas, the Frank Sinatra impersonator they looked forward to seeing, and the big honeymoon suite they couldn’t wait to use.
Tyler’s face looked pained when they mentioned the honeymoon suite, which was at the same time the waiter came by with our food. Tyler ordered another beer.
I quickly chewed and swallowed a bite of one of my chicken tenders, thankful I had pointed to something on the menu I actually liked. “So you guys never finished telling me how you met.”
They turned to each other and smiled.
“Church.” Tyler took another bite of his cheeseburger. He was about half finished with it in two minutes.
I need to do a better job of feeding him when he’s at my house. For some reason, it’s the last thing I think about. I laughed under my breath.
“Well, I might’ve embellished a little,” Leona said.
Tyler lowered his cheeseburger and looked at his mom.
“I guess it won’t hurt to tell you now.” Leona sat her fork on her plate. “We met online and I invited him to church. So, technically, yes, we met at church.”
“Oh,” Tyler said.
“I was afraid you’d be worried about me meeting someone online. It wasn’t what you think. I put out an ad for help with the books, and Ernie answered. And after a few emails I invited him to church.” Leona smiled.
“Best thing I ever did,” Ernie said. “I knew I moved to Montana for more than just the fly fishing.”
Leona touched his arm, beaming.
“Oh, you’re really into fishing, I take it,” I said.
“Yes,” Ernie said. “I got divorced about fifteen years ago and said I’d never marry again. So I retired and moved to the place that had the best fly fishing. I got bored after a few months and answered an ad to help a widow with her finances. And here we are.”
“We hit it off right away,” Leona said. “And he started picking up new business and asked me to be his receptionist.”
“But she’s more than that,” he said. “I’ve taught her how to do bookkeeping and everything.” He took a deep breath. “I feel like my life didn’t start until I hit sixty. That’s when I retired and found the love of my life. Before that, all I wanted to do was live in a cabin and go fishing every day.”
They looked at each other and smiled, then gave each other a quick peck on the lips. I looked at Tyler, who was completely engrossed in his diminishing cheeseburger.
We spent the rest of the meal talking about Ernie’s two daughters, who were in their early thirties and still lived in Minnesota. Ernie had three grandchildren, and Leona was very excited about being their new step grandmother. They were going to visit them for a few days after the wedding.
The waiter came to clear the plates. Tyler and I were full, but Ernie and Leona decided to order coffee and pie. I had a feeling it was because they were having a good time and Leona wanted to be with Tyler a little longer. But I also noticed Tyler was the quietest person at the table. I had a feeling he wanted me there was so he wouldn’t have to answer all of their questions or listen to them talk so much.
“You'll never believe what I got!” Leona reached into her huge gold suitcase-like purse and pulled out a thin blue leather case to hand to Tyler.
He opened the case. “An iPad?”
“Yes!” Her eyes lit up.
“We both got 'em!” Ernie put his arm around her. “I got her one for her birthday but I had to get one for me too.”
“What do you use it for?” Tyler asked.
“Yahtzee!” Leona and Ernie both yelled at the same time.
Thankfully, the glass of water in my hand hadn't made it to my lips yet because I laughed out loud.
Leona and E
rnie looked at each other and laughed a little too hard.
I turned to Tyler. He looked a bit unimpressed as he played with Leona's iPad. “Yahtzee... Scrabble.... there's a Press Your Luck app?”
“What else do you do with it?” I asked.
Safe With Me, Special Edition Page 27
